Fifa World Cup 2014: UAE TV packages and venues

A billion people around the globe will watch the Fifa World Cup 2014, which runs from 12 June – 13 July. If you’re one of the millions of people in the UAE trying to compare the highly confusing TV package costs so you can watch the World Cup at home, or want to know the […]

A billion people around the globe will watch the Fifa World Cup 2014, which runs from 12 June – 13 July. If you’re one of the millions of people in the UAE trying to compare the highly confusing TV package costs so you can watch the World Cup at home, or want to know the best venues in Dubai or Abu Dhabi to watch your team play – whether with or without shisha, iftar or suhour – and how much you’ll need to fork out for that, you’re in the right place. Read on to find out how to get your share of World Cup action.

You can watch the World Cup either through your current TV provider (Du/ Etisalat) or directly through beIN Sports, which owns the broadcasting rights for the Middle East and Africa. We compared the costs to help you decide which one is best for you.

Table 1: UAE World Cup TV packages

Provider

Best for…?

Cost

Description

Contact

Du – FIFA World Cup 2014

Existing customers

AED 440

One-time charge (for World Cup channels only) on top of your current package. Channels disappear at end of World Cup

The 12-month package costs AED 1,018 and three-month package AED 570. You have to buy a set-top box for the TV at an additional cost, which varies depending on the place of purchase. Existing customer charges will be calculated based on the remaining period of their subscription

If you have a satellite dish, or are in an area where you are allowed to get one (such as a villa) you can subscribe to beIN Sports at a minimum cost of AED 570 for three months – and you’ll get to keep all 15 sports channels after the World Cup is over

If you’re in an area where you cannot have a dish (such as a freezone apartment block) and must subscribe to the telecom provider for your area, the minimum charge is AED 440 – 450 for the duration of the World Cup only and for five (Du) or seven (Etisalat) World Cup channels only.

Etisalat also has a deal to get you subscribing to all of its sports channels for 12 months, including the World Cup channels.

Du, Etisalat and BeIN Sports all have four languages – English, Arabic, French and Spanish.

UAE residents can also watch the games at a variety of venues, specially set up for the Fifa World Cup. We’ve picked out the top places to go in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for you while enjoying shisha, food and drinks, including iftar and suhour, with a comparison of entry fees and minimum spend required.

Iftar and suhour: If you are fasting during Ramadan, look for places with iftar and suhour options – we list them above

Screens: The number of screens and where they are is important. You don’t want to be stuck in corners of huge venues with multiple small TVs and not enough big ones. So keep an eye out for the size of the venue, number of seats and number of screens, both big and small

Minimum spend: Minimum spend can end up being cheaper if you share the cost with other people by booking tables

Vouchers: Even though they can be costly as an initial outlay, with vouchers you have the option of using leftovers next time – but of course, there has to be a next time. You could even swap them with other people going to the same place another time

Age limit: Certain venues such as Barasti and Qube won’t allow people who are under the age of 21 – they’re listed above

Planning on staying at home and watching the games?Get in to the spirit of the Fifa World Cup by investing in to some decorations for your living room. Buy football-themed bean bags from Ace Hardware, printed with flags of your favorite team, or head down to Mr Ben’s for football costumes and props. Petrol stations across the UAE have also stocked up on various football accessories, such as sunglasses decorated with different national flags.